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“Adventures in Eastern Europe” |
Piano Bars
"My best nightlife experience was piano bars, hip, trendy ...lots of mafia but still fun!"
read review
"My best nightlife experience was piano bars, hip, trendy ...lots of mafia but still fun!"
read review
Email from when I was in Bulgaria..first few weeks:
Happy to say, that I have not been eaten by the wild dogs that tormented me only a few km's away!! Life in Sofia , in the city centre, is very different from how it started out and is becoming a wonderful experience!!! So, Sarah and I, are all settled in now, enjoying our apt, the food, the wine and the people! We couldn't have asked for a better place to live, our new home is in the city centre and close to everything!! We have all the govt buildings, about 5 minutes away...the best restaurants and nightlife all walking distance. Not to mention, the majority of the residents in our building are from London , so it is so interesting sharing experiences as foreigners in this country!
Last weekend, we were invited to Bansko by the CEO of Bulbank (the top bank here...who as of yesterday, we closed a deal with!!!) and the Governor of the Central Bank of Bulgaria .
( Bansko is one of the most, up and coming ski resorts in Europe !
About 3 years ago, this was an just another ancient Bulgarian village and now it is booming with real estate, nightlife and is a picturesque ski town. It is surrounded by the highest mountains in Bulgaria ! There has been multi millions of euros invested here, the facilities are modern and has become one of the most popular destinations for travellers from the UK .)
Of course, being invited to Bansko, who can turn down a ski weekend...one slight problem...I DON'T SKI! Lucky for me, Sarah, growing up in Whistler and being a ski racer for many years, helped the situation out! So, after finding a decent outfit and trying to look the part...we headed off on a 2 hour drive from Sofia to Bansko!! The CEO and the Governor, are avid skiers and travel all over Europe and are regulars at this mountain. They were excited to learn "Canadian" as they called our english...and it was an amusing ride to the mountain! We get to Bansko and it is beautiful, what's even better is we are staying at the foot of the mountain, the Kempinsky Hotel, the only 5 star resort and you can ski right in! Our 2 storey place is more than comfortable and almost too extravegent for a weekend away....we contemplate leaving our jobs and staying here forever!!
The night started with a walk through Bansko and a history lesson.
Bulgarians are very proud of their heritage. Some of the buildings in Bansko date back to the 1700s! After our walk we went to a traditional Bulgarian Tavern, called a "Mehana". Yet, since the two men are VERY well known and high up in the government they are constantly worried about the media and their image. Ironically, we are media, and they told us many times, the media is always looking to portray anyone in a bad light...so when introducing us, they made it very clear that they were on business and you wouldn't believe the response when we told them we were with Forbes...instant celebrities..it was quite funny! When we arrived at the Tavern people knew them and the best table in the place was occupied, but the people moved so we could sit there! The whole night was insane. There were traditional Bulgarian musicians, the owner joined us and told us about the history of the place (it was older than Canada !) and we learned that Mr.Tchakalsky is one of the foremost experts on wine in Bulgaria —alas we had A LOT of great Bulgarian wines and tones of meat. The meat was phenomenal, cooked in front of us in a fireplace! I think I overdosed on meat! The desert, traditional Bulgarian yogurt has medicinal properties and in Japan has 30% of the market share, because of the health benefits...the berries, grow wild in the mountain, a few minutes away...and just wonderful! The food, the wine and the traditional folk music, made for an amazing night!
After about a 4 hour dinner, we headed back to the place, where they told us that we would see them at 7:30am in the lobby! These guys don't waste anytime and are the first on the mountain...and little did Sarah know, what she was in for!! The day started and Mr.Tchakalsky got me a ski instructor, so I was home free.....learning to ski from a guy that didn't speak english, nevertheless, I learned alot and have improved tremendously! Meanwhile, Sarah, was skiing with the 2 show offs!! She had to go to the bathroom...but there was no time to stop!!
I was far too inexperienced to even venture up to the mountain where she was skiing from, so unfortuanately I missed a fantastic lunch, where you have to ski down to. Sarah spent lunch meeting all the important people in Bulgarian politics, it was quite a social scene....she was told that Mr.Tchakalsky and Mr.Iskrov, were "the fast crowd" and she did a great job impressing them with her skiing abilities. They raved about her talent to everyone...the wives (who by the way were so young and beautiful...most of them were in their late 20's married to these old guys!) were asking her for pointers and by the end of the day, she was giving lessons!
Another night of Mehana's and another early morning approached! The next day,
we were going to be leaving at 2pm, so I opted not to get a ski instructor and instead practiced on my own. I can only get away with my beginner level excuse for so long....because by 12 noon, I found myself being forced into a ski lift up to the tallest mountain I have ever seen in my life!
I was terrified...Collingwood does not compare!!! All because we had to eat at this restaurant for lunch..risking my life...for some good sausage was not what I had in mind....but I had no choice!! I can't believe I did it, but I managed to ski down the steepest mountain....with Sarah's help....and of course I had a fan club cheering me on sitting outside eating lunch..(how embarrassing!) The Governor and the CEO were very impressed and commended me on the fastest learning ever....and it made for a great finale to a wonderful weekend!
Two weeks from the now we will re-encounter the high life to Basnko as we have been invited to a posh investment party in Bulgaria . This weekend is being hosted by a very famous businessman, we had the opportunity to meet.....and who we sold!! Apparently, we will do more business this weekend...than in 3 weeks of work!! So, I have some time now to work on my skiing and can't wait to get back to Bansko!
Yesterday, we attended the launch party of a guide on Bulgaria ..hosted by the Tourism agency in Sofia . It was very cool meeting so many young people! Many of the girls we met were 23, 24 and married...can you imagine!! They have told us more about what there is to see and do.
Now, that the weather is getting better, today was 13 degrees and spring is coming....life in Bulgaria is looking pretty good! So, if anyone wants to venture this way...I can't wait to show you around!!!
previous travel blog entry
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